The Kokiri, also known as the Kokiri Tribe,[1] and the Children of the Forest,[2] are small child-like beings that inhabit the Kokiri Forest, as they compromise the land there with planted houses on its acres and within its borders. To date, they have only existed in the realms of Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, but are referenced in several games of The Legend of Zelda series.

History

Ocarina of Time

The Kokiri live peacefully with Link in the Kokiri Forest, under the protection of their patron deity, the Great Deku Tree.[3][4] However, after the Great Deku Tree dies, the Kokiri Forest is overrun with monsters,[5] forcing them to retreat within their homes. Once Link returns as an adult, he rescues Saria from the Forest Temple and a new Deku Tree sprouts. The Deku Tree Sprout informs Link that he was originally raised as a Kokiri, despite his Hylian heritage, based on a poignant move by his injured mother: she placed him in the care of the Great Deku Tree during the Hyrulean Civil War before her death in order to safeguard his life from the calamity beyond.[6]

Tri Force Heroes

Society

The Great Deku Tree grants each Kokiri a Fairy,[9] which watches over the Kokiri. Subsequently, the Kokiri utilize the Faries' abilities to their advantage, such as using them to speak across distances.[10]

Possessing a Fairy partner is considered the sign of becoming a "true Kokiri" within the forest, and many of the Kokiri congratulate Link after he obtains one and even offer to help teach him to use it.[10] Mido bullied Link because he didn't have one,[11] and still refuses to accept the young hero as one of them even after Navi has joined Link's side.[12] The Kokiri do not accept adults who have Fairies, however.[13]

The Kokiri dress in green Kokiri Tunics. The females wear headbands, while the males wear distinctive floppy green hats. They all reside within hollowed-out trees, which they use as buildings. When the Kokiri Forest is overrun with monsters, they all take refuge within the buildings. For some reason, the tops of the trees are all cut in a cone shape.

The Kokiri value their treasure, the Kokiri Sword,[14] which is hidden behind the Hole of "L" in the Forest Training Center.[15] During times where they sense danger in the forest, the Kokiri elect to arm themselves for defense, though the only Sword present is the Kokiri Sword.[16]

The Kokiri seem to be dependent on horticulture, as many farming supplies can be found within Link's house. Hay may even be found within the young hero's home, although no livestock are visibly present until after Malon gives Link a Cow. Fruits are present on Link's table within his house, so some of the Kokiri diet may be gathered rather than cultivated, though since Link is a Hylian and not a Kokiri, this may not apply. What appear to be Red Potions can be found on the top shelf of the Know-It-All Brothers' house, however.

Physiology

Fado, the last remaining Kokiri

The Kokiri are an ageless race that takes the form of human children. Like Hylians, they possess long, pointed ears. Apart from Saria, all known Kokiri have either blonde or red hair. Despite their agelessness, Kokiri are still mortal beings that can be killed.[17]

Through some unknown process, the Great Deku Tree gave life to the Kokiri.[4] Given the presence of twins within Kokiri Forest,[18] it is possible that this was a biological process, rather than a magical one. Furthermore, three of the Kokiri are referred to as "brothers," though this may only be in the sense of the word rather than having any closer biological connection than any of the other Kokiri.

It was said that the Kokiri die if they leave the forest.[19] However, at the end of Ocarina of Time, the Kokiri are seen in Lon Lon Ranch along with other characters celebrating Ganondorf's defeat. Because of this, it is possible that the story is told only for general safety to prevent Kokiri to leave and be killed because of the monsters outside the Kokiri Forest.

When Hyrule was flooded prior to the events of The Wind Waker, the Kokiri took on the forms of Koroks,[8] which are beings made of wood, like Deku.

Notable Kokiri

Saria

Saria is Link's close friend, a fact which annoys Mido. She gives Link the Fairy Ocarina before he leaves the Kokiri Forest as a parting gift.[20] After Mido blames Link for the death of the Great Deku Tree, Saria defends him.[21] When the Kokiri Forest is overrun with monsters, she leaves for the Forest Temple in an attempt to stop them.[22] There, she is awakened as the Sage of Forest and aids Link's journey to defeat Ganondorf.

Mido

Mido considers himself the "boss" of the Kokiri,[23] and often orders the other Kokiri to do menial tasks for him.[24][25] Mido regularly guards the entrance to the Great Deku Tree's Meadow, preventing others from passing unless the Great Deku Tree summons them. Saria explains that this is because the forest has become dangerous.[16] After Link defeats Queen Gohma and leaves Kokiri Forest, Mido convinces the other Kokiri that the Great Deku Tree withered because Link did something wrong to him.[21] Once Link becomes an adult, Mido protects the passageway into the Sacred Forest Meadow, only allowing passage to those who know Saria and can play her song.[26][27]

Fado (Ocarina of Time)

Initially, Fado is friendly and instructs Link how to look around the Kokiri Forest,[28] but later becomes angry at Link for killing the Great Deku Tree.[29] When Link returns as an adult, Fado warns Link that people who become lost in the Lost Woods become Stalfos.[30]

Fado (The Wind Waker)

Fado is the Sage of Wind in The Wind Waker. Prior to the events of the Era of the Great Sea, Ganondorf killed him in order to weaken the Master Sword's power. Later, with Link's help, he awakens Makar as the new Wind Sage.

Trivia

Some characters call the Kokiri "forest fairies,"[32] "fairy folk,"[33] or "fairy children,"[34] presumably from their Fairy guardians. Link is occasionally mistaken for a Kokiri from his similar clothing and Fairy companion.

Tingle believes himself to be a Kokiri, and is obsessed by Fairies, though no Fairy has yet come to him;[35] he dresses in green to match the Kokiri clothing.

In Ocarina of Time, the Kokiri are not visible from more than fifteen steps away. This is due to the Nintendo 64's limitations, as it was difficult to display the Kokiri and the structures in the Kokiri Forest all at once, so each Kokiri was paired with a Fairy to help locate them. When Link approaches them, their owners appear.[36]

During an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto prior to the release of Ocarina of Time, he stated that the Kokiri disappear when they reach certain age. Then, the next generation of Kokiri are born as abruptly. He also stated that Link would also disappear at some point in the game.[37]

According to the official Japanese site, the Kokiri Clothes from Tri Force Heroes actually contain the soul of a Kokiri.[38]

Nomenclature

The Name element Ko is a Japanese reading for Zi,[39] a Chinese character that means "child".[40] Also, the word Kiri is Japanese for the Paulownia Tree, which was traditionally planted when a female child was born.[41]

References

↑"Known as the Children of the Forest, all Kokiri had their own guardian fairies." (Ocarina of Time Official Nintendo Player's Guide (Nintendo), pg. 7)

↑"In the vast, deep forest of Hyrule... Long have I served as the guardian spirit... I am known as the Deku Tree... The children of the forest, the Kokiri, live here with me. Each Kokiri has his or her own guardian fairy." — Great Deku Tree (Ocarina of Time)

↑ 4.04.1"What? You've been called by the Great Deku Tree? What an honor. He may give you a special gift! Tee hee! That's because the Great Deku Tree is our father, the forest guardian, and he gave life to all of us Kokiri!" — Kokiri (Ocarina of Time)

↑"Since the Great Deku Tree withered...more meanies have been appearing in the forest. I'm scared!" — Know-It-All Brother (Ocarina of Time)

↑"Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world. One day, to escape from the fires of the war, a Hylian mother and her baby boy entered this forbidden forest. The mother was gravely injured... Her only choice was to entrust the child to the Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest. The Deku Tree could sense that this was a child of destiny, whose fate would affect the entire world, so he took him into the forest. After the mother passed away, the baby was raised as a Kokiri." — Deku Tree Sprout (Ocarina of Time)

↑"That Wind Waker you hold was used long ago to conduct us sages when we played our song to call upon the gods. In those days, it was always the king who conducted for us... Please... Tell the king that I will still play... even in the next world!" — Fado (The Wind Waker)

↑ 8.08.1"We created the Rito as the evolved form of the Zora that appeared in "Ocarina of Time" and the Koroks as what the Kokiri became once they left the forest. They appear different, but they have inherited their blood." —Eiji Aonuma (Legends Alliance)

↑"The children of the forest, the Kokiri, live here with me. Each Kokiri has his or her own guardian fairy." — Great Deku Tree (Ocarina of Time)

↑ 10.010.1"Yes, yes! That's how you use a fairy! It's so great that you finally have a fairy partner! I'll teach you how to talk to people using your fairy! When a fairy flies near a person or thing, press to look in that direction. If you use Targeting, you can talk to people from a distance, like we're doing now. When you have nothing that you can target, you can press just to look forward. Try it!" — Kokiri (Ocarina of Time 3D)

↑"Hey, you! "Mr. No-Fairy"! What's your business with the Great Deku Tree? Without a fairy, you're not even a real man!" — Mido (Ocarina of Time)

↑"I, the great Mido, will never accept you as one of us!" — Mido (Ocarina of Time)

↑"Why is that fairy following you around? You're not one of us!" — Kokiri (Ocarina of Time)

↑"This is a hidden treasure of the Kokiri, but you can borrow it for a while. Be sure to practice with it before you really fight!" — N/A (Ocarina of Time)

↑ 16.016.1"What? Mido won't let you go to see the Great Deku Tree? Ohh...that bum! I don't know why he's always so mean to everyone! What he said is true, though. The forest... Strange things have been happening here lately... You need to be ready for anything. You'd better find a weapon! You can buy a shield at the shop, but there is only one sword hidden somewhere in the forest." — Saria (Ocarina of Time)

↑"I am Fado of the Kokiri tribe. I know I appear to you as a child, but the eyes can oft deceive. I am a most esteemed sage. I had been praying here so that the power to repel evil would continue to be contained within the blade of the Master Sword... But I was attacked by the evil Ganondorf... and this is what happened to me." — Fado (The Wind Waker)

↑"The Great Deku Tree said that if a Kokiri leaves the woods, he or she will die!" — Kokiri (Ocarina of Time)

↑"Oh, you're leaving... I knew... that you would leave the forest... someday, Link... Because you are different from me and my friends.... But that's OK, because we'll be friends forever... won't we? I want you to have this Ocarina... Please take good care of it. When you play my Ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit." — Saria (Ocarina of Time)

↑ 21.021.1"Have you been traveling around much, mister? Have you ever met a boy named Link? Mido said that the Great Deku Tree withered because that boy did something wrong to it... Only Saria defended Link--until she left. Maybe we misunderstood..." — Kokiri (Ocarina of Time)

↑"An evil wind is blowing from the direction of the Forest Temple. Saria left, saying, "I have to do something about it!" The Forest Temple is located in the Sacred Forest Meadow in the far side of the Lost Woods." — Know-It-All-Brother (Ocarina of Time)

↑" by the stone, pick it up! by the stone, pick it up! Mean old Mido… He's making me pick up the rocks in front of his house." — Kokiri (Ocarina of Time 3D)

↑"That meanie, Mido, is making me cut the grass at Saria's house. Mido told Saria he would do it so she would like him, but I'm the one doing all the work!" — Kokiri (Ocarina of Time 3D)

↑"Who do you think you are? That Kokiri-like clothing won't fool me! I promised Saria I would never let anybody go through here. If you want to see her that bad, I'm gonna need to see some proof that you're really a friend of hers! Something you could only have heard from her. ...Not that she would ever be friends with a grown-up like you." — Mido (Ocarina of Time)

↑"That melody?! Saria plays that song all the time! You... Do you know Saria? That song... Saria taught that song only to her friends... OK... I trust you. When I see you... I don't know why, but I remember...him..." — Mido (Ocarina of Time)

↑"Hee hee hee! You came all the way up here? You're a real man! Look! Isn't this view pretty? Change your viewpoint with so you can look around the forest with ." — Fado (Ocarina of Time 3D)

↑"That guy isn't here anymore. Except for the Kokiri, people who come into the forest end up lost. They all become Stalfos. That's why he's not here anymore. Only his saw is left. Hee hee." — Fado (Ocarina of Time)

↑"There are three kinds of items: gear items, usable items, and quest items. Gear items are things like your sword, shield, and clothes and must be equipped to use. Usable items can be set to [I], [X], [Y], and [II]. They are used by tapping the assigned button or icon. Quest items are things you collect during your adventure. You don’t ever need to use them—just carry them around. If you want to change gear, tap [Gear] on the lower screen to open the Gear subscreen. To equip an item of gear, simply tap it. To assign items to your item slots, tap [Items] to open the Items subscreen. Tap the item you want to assign, and then tap [I], [X], [Y], or [II] to set it to that slot." — Kokiri (Ocarina of Time)

↑"I have been looking for you and your kind, for I, too, long to be one of the fairy folk!" — Tingle (The Wind Waker)

↑"This is a rare sight. You are a fairy child, correct?" — Kaepora Gaebora (Majora's Mask)

↑"I think I am the same as you, sir. A forest fairy! Alas, though I am already age 35, no fairy has come to me yet..." — Tingle (Majora's Mask)

↑"The first location is Kokiri Forest. The village has lots of trees and lots of people live there, but it was difficult to display them all at once. [...] I came up with the idea of having each person living there followed around by a fairy. That way, even if we just showed the fairies... [...] We solved the problem by having it so that the owner appears when you get close to the fairy." —Yoshiaki Koizumi (Iwata Asks: Ocarina of Time 3D Original Development Staff - Part 1)

↑"Link is a child of a race of elves called "Kokili." For some reason or another, there are no parents in this race, only many children of the same age. All of a sudden, they grow up until they reach a certain age, when they disappear. The next generation is born just as abruptly. So at some point, Link will disappear." —Shigeru Miyamoto (The Z-Files)

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